Yep, The "Thrillies" are finally back, the most notoriously bogus (but hopefully fun) awards in all of Mysterydom.

Remember, the Thrillies aren't really awards at all -- there are no actual statuettes of nude eunuchs or tedious presentations or anything else. All they really are are an opinion poll; a quick post-mortem snapshot of what readers of this site (and people who accidentally googled themselves here while searching for pictures of goats in rubber boots) think of the status of P.I. fiction over the last year.

The results follow.

Agree? Disagree? Don't get steamed. It's not too late -- you, too, can make a difference.

There's no need to be formal about it (it ain't that kinda site), but feel free to discuss your favourites and not-so favourites. And please feel free to disagree with other people's opinions. Just keep it clean, and no hitting below the belt.

SLIM PICKINGS
THE BEST P.I. FILM/TV SHOW AWARD
For Films/Shows First Released in 2007

Burn Notice

Gone Baby GoneNot since Huston's The Maltese Falcon has a director made his debut with a P.I. film as good as this. Not that Affleck's first shot at directing is THAT good, but it does come alarmingly close.

Gone Baby Gone

Andy Barker, Private Eye

Gone Baby Gone

Burn Notice. It may be fluff, but it's fun fluff.

Burn Notice

Gone Baby Gone

Gone Baby Gone

Cracker

None that registered (at least not here on the other side of the world)

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?The Worst P.I. Film/TV Shows Released in 2007

Pushing Daisies (It has a P.I. in it. I'm not sure it's a P.I. show, but if they're calling it one, it's a bad one.)

Every single gimmicky, supernatural P.I. show that crashed and burned this year.

Psych!

Raines

Burn Zone... too silly

Sexina: Popstar P.I. - still sorry I watched the first three minutes of this film(?) in the first case.

Monk!

WHAT THEY SHOULD BE THINKING
P.I. TV Shows and Movies That SHOULD Be on DVD

Vengeance Unlimited

Marlowe (James Garner)

Andy Barker P.I. (Why not?)For those of you plugged in, the Barker series was available on iTunes.

Mannix (but I think it may end up being better in memory)

T.H.E. Cat

What kind of world is it when all three seasons of crap like Hardcastle & MacCormick are available on disc but we can't get even one season of Harry O?

Shannon's Deal with Jamey Sheridan

Thief

Fallen Angels and City of Angels

All those not on dvd so that they are more easily to access.

The Brasher Doubloon. It's supposedly dreadful -- and the stills I've seen seem to confirm it -- but it's the only Chandler adaptation I've never seen.

The Torchy Blane movies!!!

How about DVD versions of the straight-to-cable flicks with Gil Gerard as Jonathan Valin's Harry Stoner and Eric Roberts as Arthur Lyons' Jake Asch? The latter would surely make dough -- it features a small bit by Johnny Depp.

SPINNING WHEELS GOT TO GO ROUND
Best PI Movie or TV Show Released on DVD in 2007

Vincent Series 1

Yep, definitely Vincent. The best P.I. show in years.

Kidnapped. Well, it was sort of like a P.I. show.

The CloserIt's hard to make a case for her as a P.I. -- she's a cop.

The Spenser Movie Collection

DRAWN THAT WAY
Best P.I. Comic Book or Graphic Novel of 2007

A disappointing year. Lapham's Hitchcockian thriller Silverfish rocked, but it wasn't a P.I. book. Samurai Noir was a one-off joke that didn't need to be told twice. Hawaiian Dick supposedly returned, but I haven't seen it yet. And Ms. Tree came back from the dead, but in prose form.

The Dark Goodbye (Rausch/Marrafino)

Kane vol 6 - Partners (Grist)

The Black Diamond Detective Agency

I forgot about that one! Black Diamond by Eddie Campbell.

Scalped by Jason Aaron and R. M. Guerra (though lead character is an undercover FBI agent)

The next great P. I. movie -- Gone Baby Gone has to have had some effect, right?

The next Spenser novel - hope they improve again.

The follow-up to Chinatown and The Two Jakes. C'mon, Jack -- that's what's on my bucket list.

The return of Joe R Lansdale's Hap Collins & Leonard Pine

THE RISING TO THE OCCASION AWARD
What gives you the most hope for the future of the P.I.?

"The fact that the P.I. has lasted seven or eight decades already. I don't think people will ever tire of seeing the detached outsider come in and resolve situations for better or worse."
(Gerald So)

Jack Taylor and Ray Dudgeon

All newly introduced P.I. of the last decades: the environment changes but the character (mostly) stays.

The regular posts and blogs announcing the death of the P.I. genre, and the fact that very few peple generally take them seriously.

Nothing...Network and Cable TV have dropped the ball on the genre.
There are books out there...

THE LIMP DICK AWARD
Biggest Disappointment

Higher-priced, less satisfying reads.

Jacked-up, bloodsucker Canadian prices, even though our dollar is kicking American butt.I swear I didn't write this.

The "death" of Easy Rawlins.

This year's Spenser novel wasn't up to Parker's last few.

The cancellation of the P.I.-themed Bloody Words convention.

When One Man Dies - David White

Mickey Spillane's Dead Street.

Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis.

Nobody seemed to notice how great Gone Baby Gone was.

The high price of the self-published new Ben Perkins book -- and that it evidently HAD to be self-published.

Song of Innocence not allowed to be nominated for BEST NOVEL because it's "self-published."

Mosley bumping off Easy Rawling. Fuck, that pisses me off!

Rebel Island by Rick Riordan (he should just quit writing adult books and focus on the kids

Just finished When One Man Dies, and I'd agree it's a disappointment. It kept me reading, but was filled with all sorts of awkward, clumsy writing. The blurbs on the back cover and interior had me expecting a whole lot more from this one.

Too little hard-boiled e-books available, especially the old ones.

Lack of really good bonus features (and lame packaging) of the Chinatown and The Two Jakes set. These flicks deserve better.

Too few books/info available in UK

SIGNS OF THE APOCALYPSE
Most Depressing P.I. Trend

Once again, everyone ignored John Shannon, one of the genre's best, most challenging and consistent writers.

The annual spate of "The P.I. is dead" sermons by people who wouldn't know a good P.I. novel if it pissed on their leg.

Everybody saying the P.I. novel is dead.

Frank "Sin City, 300" Miller writing the new Marlowe film. If they're going to get a comic book writer they could get do a lot better than Miller. How about Ed Brubaker or Michael Lark or Max Allan Collins? Or even Chuck Dixon? I'm not sure anyone over the age of twelve really wants a Marlowe heading down the mean streets with an Uzi, dressed in a leather thong while some fourteen year old hottie flashes her boobs around.

The high price of the self-published new Ben Perkins book -- and that it evidently HAD to be self-published.

Almost any POD book. These covers aren't so much designed as spit out.

Those covers for the Monk tie-ins.

Philip Craig's genrally dreadful Vineyard books.

THE "THAT'S MORE LIKE IT" AWARD
Cover Designs That Don't Suck

Anything by Hard Case, although it would be nice if they'd loosen up the format a bit. The nostalgia tank of good will will eventually run dry.

The Last Striptease by Michael Wiley.

Chicago Way by Michael Harvey.

Red Cat by Peter Spiegelman

Song of Innocence by Aleas

The Color of Blood - Declan Hughes

Red Cat

hard case crime books, refreshingly old school

BLACK IS BLACK
The Darkest P.I. Novel This Year

Songs of Innocence by Richard Aleas.

The "everything went black" ending of Blonde Faith.

Priest - Ken Bruen

Red Cat

The Color of Blood by Hughes. Evidently it's black.

Mr. Clarinet by Nick Stone

WELCOME BACK
P.I. Classics FINALLY Back in Print

All the classic short stories from 30ies, 40ties, etc.

A collection of Norbert Davis' stories.

THE P.I. I'D LIKE TO SEE...
What itch of yours hasn't been scratched?

A really, really good Canadian private eye that isn't just an American in disguise who can pronounce "out" correctly.

A truly hardboiled Canadian detective novel.

An ex-Gitmo interrogator turns PI.

A P.I. TV show (or mini-series) as well done as The Wire or The Sopranos.

A decent mystery bookstore within driving distance.

A classic character (Hammer, Spenser, etc.) meeting a rookie P.I. and teaching him/her.

The renewal of the Ving Rhames version of "Kojak" series as a P.I. (USA Network makes me sick!)

SO LONG, IT'S BEEN GOOD TO KNOW YOU
We'll Miss Them...

Richard S. Prather, Shell Scott's creator.

HardLuck Crime

Barry Morse, Robert Urich...

BUT WHAT I REALLY WANTED FOR CHRISTMAS WAS...

The Last Striptease by Michael Wiley

My two front teeth.

Supercar dvd.

Honey West.

All 50's and 60's detective films and TV-shows I'll never get to see.

Mannix!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO USHow should we mark our 10th anniversary?
(Coming this April?)

How about a "Where are They Now?" essay covering some of the P.I. writers who've dropped below radar since 1998?A good idea. Any volunteers?

Lobster tails, chamgagne.

More fiction.

Free admission!

Free champagne sent to users

A whole lot more stories!

Whatever you do, do NOT do a make-over. I just figured out where stuff is -- don't change it around.

Open up an online used-books store with shipping to Europe

Access for UK buyers to get hold of books.

Contact Dave White at radio station KSAV.org, he's a TV classics guru!

SPILL THE BEANSFurther Comments, Suggestions, etc.

There's WAY to many adds on your site. It's starting to look like a porno site.
(Anonymous)
Sorry, sir, I'll refund your money right away. Who should I make the cheque out to?

Another great cover, another great issue.

When One Man Dies was a disappointment? I'd love to hear more about that.
And the P.I. genre isn't dead, it just lives in the bad area of town, and they wouldn't have it any other way. It's a tired statement though, as is "It's a great novel...for a crime novel"
P.S. I love Psych. Really really do. I haven't liked Monk in a long time though.
(Cameron)

Shutter Island may not qualify as a P.I. story, but the protagonist Thinks he's one, so I think it counts. Besides, I love that you don't find out the real story until the last page.

"As I have mentioned in two e-mails so far, Benny Hill portrayed the detective Hugo Dill in the action comedy WHO DONE IT, with Frankie Layne as the gorgeous femme fatale."
-- Anthony Durrant
Two? I think this makes seven. But the page has been up for a while now, possible for at least half a year.

Love your site, it is a great starting point for catching up with all the authors, characters and books I don't know (yet). keep going!
-- Helmut from Graz, Austria

"Today's TV climate has made me sick to my stomach, for the last few years, I've endeavored to shore up my DVD collection, only to learn how little the industry cares about my demographic as it relates to shows from my era that I enjoyed immensely, the garbage they have on video shelves now, like Monk and Psyche, when performers like William Conrad, Buddy Ebsen, Craig Stevens, James Franciscus, Stacy Keach and Robert Urich to name just a few, don't have their contributions made available to the general public in this format.

It's disgusting. I am so grateful to have run across this website, it would appear that you all have a more open-minded and expansive forum for people who've never really lost their love for the characterization that has become a non-issue with modern television, the private eye.

These were among the first shows that I fell in love with as a kid: Peter Gunn, Honey West, Richard Diamond, Cannon, Barnaby Jones, Dan August, Mike Hammer, Veronica Clare, among a host of others, and many of them are not available on home video, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is a CRIME!

I hope that justice is served by these great actors, actresses and their many fans (yes, some of us are still alive and very much aware of our surroundings), and these fabulous shows of yesteryear will be released on DVD in my lifetime. Thanks for letting me vent, as I will endeavor to become a fixture at this website."
--Anonymous

I feel your pain, but there are plenty of old TV shows that have made it to DVD, as well. Rockford, for one, and there's also Peter Gunn, Magnum P.I., Banacek, etc. The road to DVD release is paved with good intentions, but commercial potential, legal rights and even whether anyone can even find the damn stuff are also factors in what does -- or doesn't -- get released.
Several of the ones you mentoned are in fact already available, or are scheduled for release in the near -- or relatively near -- future.
Your best bet is to keep an eye on our Word on the Street page which also features a list of upcoming DVD and Blu-ray releases.